Athletics Books

Not only is this a good read into the history of the Harvard/Yale rivalry, but it is also a nice glimpse into the origin and development of college football as well as the development of the sport of football as it is played today. As a fan of an SEC school, it definitely gave me an appreciation of the Ivy League.

In the 1875-1876 football game, Harvard beat Yale 4 to 0. The next year it was Yale's turn to win 1 to 0. In fact that began a winning streak that lasted until 1891 (to be sure there were some 0 to 0 ties and a few years when they didn't play) when when Harvard finally won 12 to 6.

But in spite of a few tidbits like these, this isn't a history book. This is almost a eulogy to the rivalry. Perhaps eulogy isn't exactly the right word since they usually reflect on something past, and this rivalry certainly isn't over.

The book is historical, but spends most of its time on the recent games, players, and coaches. The two writers are both Massachusetts men, but then again, Massachusetts is just a short physical distance from New Haven. Delightful book.

The book was interesting and a fun read for any Harvard or Yale grad...or any fan of college football. However, I counted at least three errors in the book. Early in the book President Theodore Roosevelt is listed as being from the Harvard Class of 1880. Several pages later he's listed as the class of 1895. (1880 is the correct date...) In discussions of Frank Hinkey, he is mentioned as one of only 5 four-time All Americans. In the photo section, his picture is accompanied by a description that says he is one of 11 four-time All Americans. Then, there is discussion of Ivy League football dropping from Division I-A to I-AA. At first this is mentioned as having happened in 1982. Later in the book, the 1974 Yale team is noted to have the best defense in Division I-AA. (But they were still in Division I-A in '74, weren't they?)

Anyway, these were three glaring errors that I picked up without doing any research or fact-checking. It just makes me wonder how many other errors are in the book that I didn't notice?

Every fall, colleges from far and wide gather together in some of the most intense and passionate rivalries in all of sports. Whether it be the classic rivals of Ohio State-Michigan, Army-Navy, or Auburn-Alabama, nothing truly compares to a game between two longly contested institutions. However of all the great traditional rivalries perhaps none exemplifies the true and humble beginnings of football better than Harvard and Yale. With this outstanding piece of football commentary and history, Corbett and Simpson give the reader a true sense of what The Game is truly about: sportsmanship, loyalty, and tradition. Whether your a die-hard alumni or a casual fan of good football, this book will keep you interested and motivated to know more. You begin to understand and apprieciate the rivalry that this is. Since many of the great Division I-AA rivarlies, like Harvard-Yale or Lehigh-Lafayette, don't get as much attention from the press, its very refreshing to see an example of the true student-athelete at his triumphal and inspiring best. The young men of Harvard and Yale, coming from different backgrounds and lives, come together every year not to showcase their own individual skills for NFL scouts but rather represent the institutions that have come to exemplify American excellence the last 300 hundred years. You don't even have to have gone to either school to gain a general sense of pride when observing such a rivalry unfold. It is simply inspiring and uplifting to know that sports are still played for the love of the game and to know with a combined effort anything is possible for a team. A truly honorable feat by both schools to keep tradition and pride alive in a otherwise prideless sports landscape.

if your an smu football fan or just a college football fan you need to read this book... if you hate University of Texas football (sports like i do) then you will love this book and hate TU even more

This is a good, not great, book about the SMU football recruiting scandal in the early to mid-1980's which resulted in the NCAA death penalty sanctions. The book is written reasonably well, but it is not a real page turner. The author goes into detail about the actions of key SMU administrators and board members, especially Gov. Clements. I would have liked to have seen more detail about individual recruiting situations and competition in recruiting with other schools. It almost seemed like the goal was to write a fairly short book instead of a great book. In any event, if you're a fan of college football or SMU or interested in the struggle between athletic recruiting versus academics, this book is worth reading.

This is a hard book to track down but I did so a couple of years ago and it was a worthwhile effort. My interest in what happened to SMU was enhanced largely from the recent controversies and issues my favorite college football team, the University of Alabama, has had with the NCAA. From what I understand about Bama's problems, they were nowhere in the ballpark of the corruption that was allowed to infect the SMU football program in the 1970s and 1980s.

I remember well how Arkansas and Texas raced far ahead of the rest of the Southwest Conference in the 1960s and 1970s and other programs were left in the dust. It was not uncommon to see teams like TCU, Texas Tech, and SMU on the short end of a 52-7 game. But a curious thing happened. These teams, particularly SMU, suddenly started moving up in the world and became very competitive. But their return to prominence was done in ways that attracted not only fans, but NCAA investigators as well. It seemed like SMU in particular could not escape the scrutiny as they continuously got slapped by the NCAA. Other programs in the Southwest Conference also got slapped but SMU seemed to almost take masochistic delight in getting slapped by the NCAA. Then the NCAA instituted the infamous "death penalty" and even then the school seemed to dare the NCAA to apply it. Interestingly enough, the book recounts how previous deals with players along with SMU's ability to previously hide the depth of its corruption made it almost impossible to clean the program without getting caught one last time. Deals were made to pay players that SMU felt compelled to abide by for fear the players would squeal. Once those players were gone (graduated or otherwise), SMU was working to clean the program. But they had to keep that last vestige of corruption in the closet. Unfortunately, it came out and SMU football was gone for a couple of years. SMU has never fully recovered.

I would love to find a couple of other books that are related to this. I would love to find a good book on the demise of the once mighty Southwest Conference. I know the corruption and problems the schools had with the NCAA contributed to the conference's demise but there were other factors as well.

A second book I would love to read will be an accounting of the issues surrounding my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide. They, too, got burned by the NCAA but evidence has been surfacing lately that the NCAA investigators may well have been guilty of less than noble practices and there were other aspects of the investigation that could have and should have gotten other schools investigated for misbehavior. Evidence now surfacing seems to support Alabama's claim that they were punished too harshly while others got off with nothing. But such a book, if it is published, will be some time in the future.

and this IS a great book. i read the first 100 pages in a single sitting, only went to bed after midnight on a long day but finished the rest in the morning. the story is great -- and a nice backgrounder on how sports, even collegiate-level, has always generated conflicts about compensation and power. whitford's language is clean, spiced with jewels of description that avoid the overwriting in most books about sports. i stumbled across a copy of this book in a used store in new york and it was worth so very much more than the bargain i got it for. (fyi, david whitford is the brother of west wing actor bradley whitford; it was david's heartfelt profile of his brother for the may 2001 esquire that first brought me to his writing.)

A good addition to a library of distance 'how to' books but not one I would suggest for anyone new to the sport who seeks specific instructions of what to do. This book provides a very good overview of the philosophy the half-iron distance training but is lacking in specific progressive training acts to undertake during each training phase.

Any triathlete or those interested in Ironman competitions will want to check out the invaluable tips in this book. Specific exercises are included.

I was thinking of moving up to the half- or full-ironman distance triathlon, and this book seemed a logical choice. As far as I know, it's the first volume dedicated to half-iron training and racing. The author spends the first few chapters going through the basic theory of training and "design science," but then dives right into the specific detail of the three sports and training for this distance. The individual chapters on swim, bike and run are as useful and detailed as any other triathlon book, with some later advances in bike aerodynamics, power metering, and running technique.

But the best and unique aspect of the book are the specific workouts, case studies and race strategies for the half-iron distance, including categories for beginner, veteran, and elite triathletes. What works for one group may not work for others. He does give separate examples for different levels, and beginners should stay with the simpler stuff in the book.

If you have read either Friel's TRAINING BIBLE or Byrn's GOING LONG, you'll feel at home with Rodger's similar approach, but his style and emphasis are different. His writing style is clear like Friel's, but he has more personal anecdotes and humor to go along with the scientific training principles. He used to train astronauts at NASA, so there is plenty of science and technology in the book, but also a lot of heart. Since he started later in life, he has more sympathy for beginners and the average or aging athlete than a pro triathlete or someone who coaches mostly pros. But make no mistake: he's a hard-racing, top-ranked age grouper with lots of world championship racing, especially Ironman and ultradistance, so some of the material can be quite challenging, but also inspiring.

Nice photos of famous folks at Kona, as well as good drawings and diagrams to illustrate swim, bike and run technique. About the only thing that could have been better would be to use the larger page format of the TRAINING BIBLE books, especially for tables and graphics, though for the money this is a well-printed publication.

Any avid sports person involved in triathlon courses will find THE PERFECT DISTANCE: TRAINING FOR LONG-COURSE TRIATHLON the first book dedicated exclusively to the half-Iron distance category. All workouts, nutritional guides and training tops are focused on this, but you needn't be a competitor to benefit from the tips in THE PERFECT DISTANCE. Anyone racer who wishes to race farther and faster will find the author/coach's tips an essential ingredient for success, making THE PERFECT DISTANCE a recommendation for both personal libraries and any public lending library strong in sports and games.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This books provides a good knowledge base for Personal Trainers. However, if you don't already know this stuff and you are a Personal Trainer already, you should feel stupid. I use it as a reference or a refresher when I forget things. Buy it if you want good general knowledge.

Just the book I was looking for! This book took a lot of what I learned in four years of college, and put it into 21 concise chapters. The perfect review for anyone with a fitness background, or a great guide for anyone looking to get started in the field. Scientific information in an easy to comprehend text.

This is one of the very best books on exercise and fitness I have read. It takes the very latest scientific research in exercise physiology and makes it easy to read and easy to understand. You would be hard pressed to find a more useful resource for trainers, coaches, or anyone interested in the hows and whys of fitness.

This book is very straight forward and easy to understand. I used this book as an adjunct to a completely different Text Book for my Personal Trainer Certification course. The text book at times had been difficult to follow. However, I purchased this book and it helped me to bridge the gap between some of the concepts that I needed help with, as I was studying on my own. I am new to the Fitness Industry and I wanted to really "get the idea" on how to design a Program for clients. This book does exactly what it says it does: Creates a Bridge between Theory into Application. You can learn the concepts and guidelines, but bridging these components into application was difficult and vague for me. I need to know the "how to's" and the "how come" behind the answers. If you are discerning and have to understand the mechanics behind the answer, this book is what you need. I am a self taught person. I have a drive to teach myself what I can from books. And if material is not very well presented, I will find the resource that helps me. This book is the resource that was my best study companion for my Personal Trainer Certification Exam.

I will put it this way, The Personal Trainer Text book "Talks -AT- You." Douglas Brooks: Program Design for Personal Trainers, book: "Speaks -TO- You." If you don't already know the concepts presented in this book, then congratulations for taking the initiative to enhance your working knowledge. This book is for you.

Since I am new to the Personal Fitness Trainer Industry, I am so grateful to the author for sharing his years of fruitful experience with us into presenting what works best. I was feeling a bit frustrated while I was studying for my Personal Trainer Certification course. I said, Okay. These are the guidelines... but "HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT IT ALL?" I wanted to learn how "bridge theory into application." So, when I came across this book, I bought it. And then... everything had started to -come together-! I did absolutely great on my written exam. And I say, I owe a lot of my "working knowledge" and successful time taking my written exam to the author of this book. If you are like me, and want to really understand the mechanics behind the guidelines this is the resource for you.

There is a lot to learn being a Personal Trainer, especially if you are new... like me. I'll say this. I paid a bit more for this book than what I could later find it for. I paid $60 for this book being a USED BOOK. And the clencher was that on the inside of the book, written in pencil was the price: $1.50. Argh! I paid $60 for what someone paid less than $2.00 for. I thought about this. And I will say this, this book is worth every cent I paid for & is worth more than it's weight in gold. Knowledge is power. And this is the book that will give me the cutting edge I need in this industry to get to where I want to be & learn to deliver the effective programs I want to know how to do. And not by blind application & rote, but yeilded by thought provoking awareness and complete "know how" vigilence.

When I am done reading this book, you can be sure that I will buy his latest books. I am waiting for my Personal Trainer Certification exam results... but when you kicked butt on an exam: You Know It before you leave!

I really like this book. I TTC but I'm also a runner. I was very happy to know you can be pregnant and run at the same time. I thought running was a taboo for pregnant ladies. It shows you step by step by month on how to run, eat, etc. GREAT book!!

I picked up Running and Pregnancy before we even started trying to conceive so that I would be educated about my exercise choices once we achieved a pregnancy. I am pleased to say that this book is very realistic and doen-to-earth. They debunk some of the exercise myths (don't let your heart rate get above 140) and provide reasonable guidelines to active pregnant women. I am almost 16 weeks, still running strong and look forward to continuing to run through my pregnancy.

I found this book to be easy to read and full of advice based on the latest studies. I enjoyed the book because it is the most comprehensive reference on current information about running and pregnancy I have found.

The book is written by a woman who has run with two pregnancies, and is full of stories from other women who have run with their pregnancies. It talks about their experiences, motivations, and suggestions/cautions. The book also provides material about how running and conception interact, diet, strengthening exercises, stretching, and the truth about aerobic exertion during pregnancy.

As a runner, I think the book is an excellent addition to my pregnancy book collection, and recommend it to all similar runners who are thinking about or have become pregnant.

This is a fun book that details briefly the changes that happen to your body during pregnancy and focuses on the runners body. The author had first hand experience of running throughout her pregnancy. The factual data is supported by 2 page case studies of women runners who had children. Some of them ran all the way through, some switched to cross training and some had to stop. There is a whole spectrum of experiences.

It is an inspirational and supportive book, and helped me get through my exercise on days when I did not feel like it. I also passed it on to my mother when she had issues about my exercise .I recommend it to any runner thinking about having a baby.

Wonderful read, got for a gift and he has loved reading all about the history, says it is very neat to learn where it all began!

Don't get misled by that nasty orange dustcover, this is a fun and rowdy read for both Sooner and Horn fans as well as for anyone who wants to get a taste of the most colorful sports rivalry in America. Shropshire's witty essays give insight into the culture of both locker rooms and include some stories that even diehard fans will not have heard. Don't read this book in bed--my wife finally got tired of being awakened by my laughter and took refuge in the guestroom. Two corrections for the author: 1)it was OU President George Lynn Cross, not President Bill Banowsky, who first told the regents that "he wanted to build a university that the football team could be proud of" and 2)it is the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry, not the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry.

As an OU Alumni, who "was there" at more Sooner Red River victories in the "Switzer and Stoops Eras" than covered in the book, my recommendation is that "Runnin with the Big Dogs" should be renamed "Fightin with the Gladiators"! Shropshire numerous attempts at home spun humor often fall incomplete(not up to par with Dan Rather and certainly not Will Rogers). The book has the same familar style of Texan "truthiness" to it that we're use to hearing from another Longhorn Fan who lives in the White House. The author is clearly biased toward the Longhorn side of the barbed wire fence (otherwise he would have mentioned Oklahoma's victory in a real "Red River War" in a long standing border dispute between Oklahoma and Texas in 1931 with Oklahoma National Guardsmen standing down the Texas Rangers). The one subject covered extensively that I enjoyed was on former OU Player Joe Don Looney. It brought back memories attending football games with my Dad in the early 60s when Looney was star halfback at the UCLA of the Southwest (University of Cameron Lawton Area).

Dallas, TEXAS, denizen Mike Shropshire, former drinkin' buddy of Joe Don Looney, claims to have written a balanced look at "the True, Unvarnished story of the Texas-Oklahoma Football wars." Bevo poop! Although the cover resembles a myopic blimpbasket view of the Cotton Bowl 50 yard line on gameday (1/2 crimson, ½ burnt orange,) the book starts with a long, lugubrious re-celebration of the 2005 Longhorn National Championship in Pasedena. Their first in 35 years. [Hoopla. Hoopla. yawn. yawn.] Shropshire forgets to mention that during this long Longhorn dry spell, the Sooners cruised the Sooner schooner to 4 more (1974, 1975, 1985, 2000.)
At times wallowing in egregious generalizations - like the hallucination that all Sooners were cheering FOR the Longhorns in the Rose Bowl (Dude! My favorite football teams are the Sooners, Da Bears, whoever is playing UT at the time and whoever is playing Oregon (Duckin' corrupt cheatin' - karma gotta get `em!) once the book settles into its purpose, it does live up to its titular hype. Shropshire's premise, supported with aplomb and humour, is that both program's goal is to beat the other in the annual contest - that they frequently happen to have to amass enough talent to beat everybody else in the country in the process is just gravy on the grits.
There are some photos in the middle - more would be better, and color (to see the beautiful crimson and cream) would be best. And it has an index - how else to locate the shy, quiet, blushing Boz?
/TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer, former annual Adolphus resident, Commerce & Cotton Bowl Survivor, urging everyone to watch TV's bright "Friday Night Lights" before the dullards at NBC prematurely end its season.

Get in shape for ski season with this guide to stretching. These easy exercises work well as a morning wake-up call.

This is a good book - a relatively inexpensive book to help know how to get in shape for skiing season. I also purchased Fitskiing (hardback) which is more exhaustive (and was more what I was looking for), but this book is worth the cost.

I'm a personal trainer working in a New York City gym and when a client of mine wanted some exercises for his favorite sport, I did a search and found this book. It has been excellent. All I needed to tailor a program for him, and even exercises he can do on the mountain in full gear. Clear, honest and effective. I highly recommend it.

It is well established that stretching improves agility and quickness of skiers. Resistance exercises strengthen the muscles, but they also shorten them. Stretching makes muscles longer again. This leads to flexibility (greater range of motion in the joints) which allows to get the most out of your training program and helps to ski longer, in better control, with less fatigue. Many books in the past emphasized primarily physical training during off-season period. In the last few years, flexibility and stretches got increasingly large attention. This book is entirely focused on stretches. It contains a well-illustrated 10-20 minute warm-up and stretching routine, and several additional excersises to improve balance. The exercises are very easy, and can be done, e.g., in the morning before work. They help to wake up and to feel better. Additionally, there is a section on warm-up and stretches recommended for the slopes before skiing (partly with the skis on), and a few exercises on skis to improve balance.

The authors emphasize that it is important to do these stretches every day since the result will be nil if you do them irregularly. However, it is not quite clear what kind of progress you can expect if you do them every day. While I appreciate the importance of stretches, I strongly suspect that the result may be rather insignificant if you do these routines every day, but nothing besides them. Stretches obviously work best when they are combined with more vigorous exercise program, such as strength training or aerobics. It is a pity that this book includes very few of those - if it did, it could be an indispensable source for pre-season conditioning. The good part, however, that practically all suggested exercises can be done at home on the floor or standing against the wall, with the equipment which can be purchased at a local harware store, or with no equipment at all.

The subtitle of the book (see the bottom of the book cover) is misleading as it says "flexibility, fitness, and conditioning for better skiing". Flexibility is definitely there, and is very well written; fitness and conditioning - sorry, guys, I did not see much of it in the book. Four stars.

Simple, easy to follow, this book outlines some great at-home workouts. I was especially impressed with the "chair" exercises, important for me at this moment since I have a broken foot.

I not only would recommend it to all, I will buy many copies and give them as gifts to friends I know need exercise that is easy and fun to do.

Great book. The illustrations are clear and easy to see, and they make sense for a beginner. It stresses the importance of stretching, warmup, and aerobics, but its focus is on strength. I recommend thin gloves for using the rubber bands.

I now own a lot of resistance training books of various sorts - using dumb-bells, or the thera-band. This book is unique, the only one I found using large rubber bands (I didn't even know such things existed). I had hesitated to buy this book because of the reviewers who said the rubber bands were harsh in thier hands. When I got the book and tried the exercises I found there was absolutely no discomfort from using the bands without gloves, that was a relief. In addition, I LOVE the exercises, they somehow get at muscles in a different way than other methods. The exercises are well explained and the photographs make it easy to see exactly how to do each one. This book is among my favorites. I did not want to use the order form for new bands at the back of the book because I was afraid prices might have gone up or something since the book was published, so I did a web search on SPRI Rubber Band and found a site called LeighCrews.com, or DynaLife (it's connected somehow) where you can buy rubber bands of different widths for more or less resistance. (Hint: if you buy 20 instead of 1, the price per unit goes down drastically.) Overall, this is a great book and a great method for getting in shape and staying in shape.

I got this book to extend my rubber resistance training. It's the only book on the topic I found at Amazon at the time. I was interested in the book but when it came and I saw the 2 small blue rubber bands attached, I was happy that it was an inclusive package. You didn't have to go out to buy the exercise equipment now that you had the book. I tried out much of the exercises and they do feel good. However, the rubber band feels harsh in my hand after a while and I have to do the exercises with my exercise gloves so I don't burn or chafe...

This weight training guide is full of great drills for volleyball players. Increase your jumping and endurance, and keep training with these programs in the off-season.

a really good book about weight training, with specific drills for volleyboll. I have already increased my jumping and endurance.

This book is straightforward, unlike Complete Conditioning for Volleyball. I know exactly when and how to work out.

The off and pre-season programs are very solid.

The only thing I wish it had in it is more agility and plyometrics programs.

I'm a multi sport athlete who trains all year round regardless of what sport I play. I bought a few of these Ultimate Guide to Weight Training books, and they definitely helped me train specifically for the different sports that I play. Then about a year later I received an email from amazon that there was a new edition out. These upgraded editions are even better than the originals, with more articles and a lot more sport-specific information. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who plays a lot of sports or wants to specifically focus on training for one sport in particular.

As an "outsider", Greg Emmanuel quickly grasped the dynamics of the long-lasting rivalry between Ohio State and The University of Michigan. While the history of the games' action through the years is quite thorough, his accurate comparison of universities represented by these two great football powers is very perceptive. Having graduated from both schools, I would agree with the comparisons. It's a good read.

An entertaining read about arguably the greatest rivalry in sports, and everything that went into the 100th game in 2003. The detailed appendix, notes, and index can settle most arguments and bets on what's happened over the course of the rivalry. A good holiday gift idea for any sports fan (and obviously any Ohio State or Michigan fan).

Emmanuel successfully weaves the story of the 100th meeting between Michigan and Ohio State -- the 2003 battle in Ann Arbor to decide the Big Ten championship -- into the century long history between these two perennial powers.

The narrative is compelling, and uncovers the historial reasons for the bitter rivalry between the two states and spends ample time on past classic meetings. It also gets into the not-so-subtle differences between the fans of the two schools, which is the real sustaining power for the rivalry today.

All in all, this is an excellent look at one of sports' greatest rivalries and would be a great addition to the book collection of alums or fans of either school, or just college football fans in general.